Fall is the absolute best time for aeration and over seeding in your lawn. Let’s take a look at what aeration is, why it is important, why we do it in the Fall, and what type of grass seed is best for your lawn!
What is Aeration and What does it Do?
After a long Summer, your lawn needs aeration and over seeding to bounce back. In the Central-Iowa area, we can go through hot, very dry Summers. This means there is a lack of water and oxygen getting down into the soil and compaction has fully set in. Luckily, aerating and over seeding your lawn helps with all of those. Warren Lawn Services offers that exact service for the Norwalk, Indianola, Winterset, Carlisle, West Des Moines and the surrounding areas!
As shown in the graphic above, aeration pulls cores out of the ground. When those cores are pulled out of the ground, this allows for water, nutrients, and oxygen to make its way deep into your soil. The best way to think of aeration, is to imagine relieving much needed tension that has built up in your lawn through out the growing season. This tension is keeping your soil all blocked up and not allowing it to feed your grass what it needs to be healthy. Pulling cores out, relieves that tension and gives your lawn what it has been needing.
After the aeration has been performed, this not only allows the soil to gain much needed oxygen, nutrients and water, but it also encourages the roots of your grass to grow deeper and heartier than before. By spurring on root devolopment and growth, you are encouraging your lawn and training it to become strong. This is important for growing a strong healthy lawn over the seasons, which will in turn keep weeds away.
Why Should You Aerate Each Season?
So should you aerate and over seed every Fall? Absolutely!!
Like we mentioned above, this is crucial each and every Fall because your lawn goes through the compaction and stressful process every single year. Introducing water, nutrients and oxygen into your lawn each and every Fall is going to help it grow stronger and stronger, season after season.
However, aerating your lawn is really only half of the job. Seeding your lawn with quality grass seed blends is the second part of the equation.
What Seed Should You Use?
In Central-Iowa, our lawns in Norwalk, Indianola, Winterset, Carlisle and West Des Moines are filled with cool-season grass already. This grass loves the Spring and Fall, but does not like the hot dry Summer. Since Iowa will go through all 4 seasons in a year, it is vital that we introduce strong, high quality grass seed blends that will withstand the draught and stress of the Summer as well as the heavy rains that can come.
The two best grass seed blends for our cool season lawns are, Turf Type Tall Fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass. Both of these grass seeds will be the heartiest seeds and be able to handle the different and varying weather conditions of Central-Iowa. At Warren Lawn, we choose to over seed at the same time as we aerate. We do so with a high quality blend of Turf Type Tall Fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass. Season after season, over seeding with these grass varieties will allow your lawn to become the strongest, most draught and stress resistant lawn that it can be.
What Should You Do After?
There is really only one vital action step that needs to take place after your aeration and over seeding. Water.
You have spent the money and investment in paying for your aeration and over seeding, now make sure you don’t waste it by not giving the grass seed has a chance to grow!
Watering your lawn 8-10 days after the over seeding is crucial in order for the grass seed to germinate. Your grass seed will not want to germinate if it dries out. The best thing you can do is to make sure the seed stays moist for those first 8-10 days in order for the seed to take root. Water for about 30-45 minutes in the morning each day after your aeration and over seeding. This will allow for the seed to stay moist and will also break down the cores that have pulled out of the lawn allowing all the nutrients to enter right back into the soil.
At Warren Lawn, if you choose to let us perform your aeration and over seeding, you will know exactly what action steps to take and when to take them. We send out a day before notification before we come so you have the chance to mark any underlying fences or water lines, and we send you a follow up notification with tips and instructions so you know when and what to do now that your aeration is complete!
If you are located in Norwalk, Indianola, Winterset, Carlisle, West Des Moines or the surrounding areas and are looking for a quality, knowledgable, local company to aerate and over seed your lawn, contact Warren Lawn, we would love the chance to work with you!
